Proposal for a Santa Maria Creek Greenway Park

By Kit L Kesinger

Proposal to the Ramona Planning Group for a park and preserve along Santa Maria Creek

I'm Kit Kesinger. I'm a resident of Ramona and representing Iron Mountain Conservancy as one of the directors and Chair of their Land Acquisition Committee. I'm here tonight to present a plan for Santa Maria Creek that would protect the natural habitats of the creek and at the same time make it a valuable asset for the community. I hope that the Planning Group will consider including some version of this plan in the 2020 update of the Ramona Community Plan.

The value of Santa Maria Creek to Ramona begins with water. The Creek has been the life blood of Ramona since the first ranches and farms settled in the valley. It is still Ramona's life blood, since Santa Maria Creek brings water to the underground reserves that feed the wells supplying water to many homes. During the Summer we don't see water on the surface, but the willows, sycamores and cottenwoods stand as proof that the creek is still flowing below the ground. And we in turn depend on that underground water.

One of the goals of this Greenway plan is to protect water quality in the creek and in the ground water supply. But this plan isn't just about water quality. It's also about flood control, habitat protection, parks and recreation, improving the quality of life, increasing the value of property, and much more. It is intended to address many needs in a single project. By the way, one advantage of addressing many needs, is that there are many sources of funds that may be drawn on to accomplish this Greenway project.

A recent article in Planning magazine, the trade magazine for land use planners, describes this kind of project as "Green Infrastructure". In that article it says,

"It should be no surprise that it is proving simpler and cheaper to leave natural systems in place than to build substitutes. Instead of laying pipe and building a reclamation plant, one can buy and maintain a riparian buffer around a water source."

That article describes projects in Florida, New York and Orange County that address flood control, water quality, pollution carried by storm runoff, recreation, habitat protection, and more. The needs addressed by those projects are very similar to our needs here in Ramona. The Greenway solution is not a radical idea, but has been proven to work in many communities.

So let's get to this Greenway plan. The Planning Group saw this figure at a previous meeting. It shows Santa Maria Creek flowing from Well Field Park to Bandy Canyon, passing through Ramona's Town Center, Ramona Acres, the Grasslands and the Ramona Water District's Spray Fields. It also shows Hatfield Creek from Magnolia to Well Field Park.

The Greenway plan proposes to:  Create a "linear park" for the benefit of the community, by acquiring land within the floodway, the 100 year flood plane and surrounding open spaces along Santa Maria and Hatfield Creeks.  Preserve water quality and the natural environment by protecting and enhancing the Greenway area. Enhancements would include removing trash, eliminating sources of pollution, and preventing damage in the park.  Locate future community projects along the Greenway, specifically projects that:
- Are designed by the community to meet community needs;
- Are consistent with the environment, including sensitive wildlife habitats, and flood potentials;
- May provide facilities for active and passive recreation: In the Town Center, typical projects might include trails, picnic areas, play grounds, sports fields, etc. In open space areas such as the grasslands, typical projects might include trails, trail-side picnic areas, nature viewing areas, etc.;
- May provide cultural facilities, such as gardens, sculptures, museums, etc.
- May provide enhanced commercial areas that improve business in Ramona.

This linear park will provide unique opportunities for Ramona by:  Connecting to the San Dieguito River Park # providing access to 75 miles of trails;  Helping to define Ramona as a destination for tourism;  Enhancing Ramona's identity as a rural community;  Providing a focus for the community in creating future projects.

It will provide additional benefits:  Improve the beauty of Santa Maria Creek # treat it as an asset instead of a dump;  Increase property values.

The picture I'd like you to have is of residents along Santa Maria Creek able to walk or bike to parks, shopping, the Intergenerational Center and other parts of the Town Center. Picture riding trails that are safe from traffic. There are other possibilities if the community decides they are appropriate, such as a site where Ramona has a farmer's market on Sunday evenings so that people travelling back from the mountains or desert can stop, pick up fresh produce, and eat dinner. At the same time, picture a greenway with natural terrain, native trees and wildlife.

The alternative would be a concrete sided stream that will provide very few benefits to the Ramona.

Several questions have come up about acquisition:  All land will be acquired from willing sellers. Nobody is interested in condemning land to create this Greenway, including the County, State, and U.S. Government. But the good news is that with so many property owners in the Greenway area, there are many potential willing sellers.  The land acquisitions may take many years. Some purchases may wait until properties are put on the market, years from today. For this reason, we need to describe the Greenway in the Community Plan, so that we're assured that acquisitions this year will lead to a completed Greenway many years from now.  How will the land be acquired? 1. By property owners granting trail access, conservation easements, or outright donations of land. 2. By buying property when it comes on the market, granting the appropriate easements then reselling the property. 3. In some cases we may contact property owners to purchase property outright.  Where does the money come from? There are many grants available for this type of project, particularly from Proposition 12, the CA Parks Bond, and Prop. 13, California's Water Bond 2000, but those are not the only sources. Either a government agency or a non-profit group may apply for most of the grants, and cooperation between both is required for some funds. Iron Mountain Conservancy has a track record working with the County and State to obtain funding to purchase the Boys and Girls Club property, and we have applied for and received other grants to acquire and preserve land. We are prepared to apply for grants for the Greenway.